On Aug 18, 7:59�am, Steven D'Aprano <st... at REMOVE-THIS-
cybersource.com.au> wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:36:49 +0200, Jean-Michel Pichavant wrote:
> > MRAB wrote:
> >> Carl Banks wrote:
> >>> On Aug 17, 10:03 am, Jean-Michel Pichavant <jeanmic... at sequans.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>> I'm no English native, but I already heard women/men referring to a
> >>>> group as "guys", no matter that group gender configuration. It's even
> >>>> used for group composed exclusively of women. Moreover it looks like
> >>>> a *very* friendly form, so there is really nothing to worry about it.
>> >>> I like how being very friendly means calling people after a guy who
> >>> tried to blow up the English Parliament.
>> >> Guy Fawkes adopted the name Guido while fighting for the Spanish in the
> >> Low Countries:
>> >>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes>> > I didn't get Carl's reference. The only thing I know about blowing the
> > parliament is from the movie V for Vendetta (no comment please !). Now
> > thanks to your link:
> > "In 18th-century England, the term "guy" was used to refer to an effigy
> > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effigy> of Fawkes, which would be paraded
> > around town by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy"
>> > Well, my knowledge is much too low to get this kind of reference from
> > the start. :-/
>> "Guy" is an old English name, related to the old French name "Gy" and
> Italian "Guido". It's originally derived from the Old German for "wood"
> or "warrior".
>> After Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the English Parliament house, and was
> executed, the British government encouraged people to burn effigies of
> him. These became known as "guys", which eventually became slang for an
> ugly man, which later became slang for any man, and in recent years, any
> person.
>> So the irony is that the friendly term "guys", referring to a group of
> people, is derived from the name of an 18th century
You're off by at least a century.
> religious terrorist.
As were all members of parliament including the king.
>> One can only wonder whether in 200 years time people will walk into the
> office and say "Hey you osamas, they're giving away free donuts down
> stairs, anyone want some?"
<joke>
Q: What's white and flies across the ocean?
A: Lord Mountbatten's tennis shoes.
</joke>
Ain't so fuckin' funny, is it?
(Unless you're Irish, in which case it's hysterical).
>> --
> Steven